Hennepin County is poised to adopt an ambitious plan to help curb climate change and meet significant environmental goals.
Research clearly shows that temperatures are changing. Minnesota is experiencing more precipitation and warmer winters. Following more than a year of research, community meetings and surveys of residents, the County Board developed a 59-page Climate Action Plan.
If adopted, Hennepin would become the first Minnesota county to develop a formal plan and could lead the way for other local units of government. Though the county has engaged in some environmental stewardship efforts such as recycling for years, the newly proposed strategies would smartly ramp up those programs.
The plan includes more than 200 strategies to reduce climate change. It includes transitioning to more electric and hybrid vehicles, adding bike lanes on county roads, and making county buildings more energy efficient.
Why does that matter? Because, as the county plan describes, climate change poses significant risks to residents — including poor air quality and damage to infrastructure and natural resources. Those problems warrant a "significant and coordinated response," the report states.
Hennepin County Board chair Marion Greene said county officials have not yet put a price tag on the strategies, but she added that failure to act would be even more costly.
"If we do nothing, there will be serious health and financial consequences," she told an editorial writer. Taking these actions will "make our communities healthier, our environment cleaner and more sustainable … we need to be resilient and ready for the changes that will come."
Converting to an electric fleet of vehicles, Greene added, is a good example of the long-term benefits. The initial expense for the vehicles will be larger, but they will last longer, eliminate the cost of gas and won't pollute the air.
